Eternity
by balancedbeginning
Summary: ChinaxReader. Country incarnations should not fall in love with humans.
1. It Begins

**Anime: Axis Powers Hetalia**

**Main Characters: China, Reader**

**Themes: Fluff, Fantasy, Angst, Drama, Love, Confliction**

_Summary: Country incarnations should not fall in love with humans. A country can potentially live forever, a human cannot. And even though he avoided putting as many people as possible in this situation for over five-thousand years, China is having a hard time letting go of you. Or telling you what he really is. The cons of being immortal definitely outweigh the pros. _

The sound of birds chirping and the gentle whistling of the wind blended perfectly with the quite summer evening.

The sight of the sun setting over the mountain tops was stunning

Peaceful.

That was the best word to describe the moment you were taking in.

After a long day of running errands, snuggling into your boyfriend's arms as you two sat outside on his garden bench was the perfect way for you two to relax.

But, just who is this happy couple?

Ah that's right, I remember now.

You are a young adult who recently turned twenty two. You enjoy being with your loved ones and cherish each pleasant memory you can remember.

The young man cradling you in his arms is known as Wang Yao. Wise, talented, and very charming, he is your faithful boyfriend. He enjoys working hard, cooking delicious meals, and being with his family, and you.

You began seeing this man almost two years ago.

Since then, there has not been a single thing in the world that could separate him from you, and vice versa.

(Well, except for the few occasions where he prioritized his food over you, but that's completely beside the point. You just laughed it off anyways.)

Sure, you two had your differences from each other.

You had argued about certain things together.

Sometimes, there was an exchange of hurtful words.

But you both would come back to each other and apologize.

You would be ok.

You both quickly realized that fighting would only drive you two apart.

And in time, you learned to accept each other.

Yes.

Quite the match, wouldn't you agree?

You had each other, and that was all you needed.

Perhaps it was the red string of fate's doing.

You were beginning to fall asleep as Yao's fingers ran through your (h/c) strands of hair.

Yao let out a deep sigh and chuckled as your grasp around his torso loosed a little, fully aware that you were drifting off into dream land.

Gently, he pulled you into his arm and positioned you so he was carrying you bridal style.

As he began heading for his house, his mind became lost in thought.

He started to think about your relationship.

For the first time in a long while, Yao had never felt happier to be with someone.

To be with you.

He pulled you closer and stopped walking.

"_. I love you. I love you so much. More than you will ever know."

And with that, he placed a tender kiss on your forehead, opened the door, and entered the house.

Making his way up to the bedroom, he placed you on the red silk comforter.

He gave your hand a slight squeeze before exiting the room and heading for his office, where he handled a lot of paper work.

He took a seat at his desk and checked his phone for messages.

To his surprise, he had one message from his brother, Kiku Honda.

Dialing his voice mail, he brought the phone to his ear and waited to hear the message.

'_Yao. I wish to speak with you about something rather important. I'm sorry to ask, but can you please cancel your plans tomorrow? We are…all concerned about you and _. Also, I want you meet me alone. I'll be waiting at the usual place, you know the one.'_

And then the phone went silent, the message was over.

Slowly, Yao placed the phone back on his desk and stood up.

His face was held no expressions.

He began to worry and pace around the room.

It would be a rough night in terms of trying to fall asleep.

For Yao knew exactly what Kiku wanted to discuss.

Something he had been trying to not think about.


	2. A Memory

Yao pinched the bridge of his nose.

'_Well, standing here won't do much for me. I might as well just go to bed. I knew Kiku would eventually confront me about this…'_

_I almost wish…_

_This never happened_

Changing into his night clothes, Yao made his way over to your sleeping form and placed an almost longing kiss on your cheek.

However, instead of embracing you, his body was turned away from you.

Shutting his tired eyes, he slowly drifted to sleep.

You two began to dream.

…

(What's that? You can't remember exactly how you ended up with Wang Yao? How silly of you. Well, in that case, please allow me to refresh your memory.)

"_Oh wow…I still can't believe I'm in China," a younger version of yourself said in awe as you wandered the streets of Beijing._

_A country of rich resources, beautiful scenery, and rapid development, you along with your senior classmates where visiting the large country as one of the few yearend 'vacation' destinations._

_You couldn't be any happier at the moment._

_Well, maybe you would be, if you hadn't managed to detach yourself from your group._

"_Ah geez…This isn't too good," you thought out aloud, starting to feel a bit nervous._

_You pondered the thought of asking for directions, only to remember that you probably wouldn't find anyone who understood English. Not to mention, you didn't want to embarrass yourself already._

_You decided that walking around somewhere would be in your best interest, you'd find your way eventually._

'_I hope.'_

_So, as you planned, you walked aimlessly for about an hour, still completely lost and already tired._

_You were walking and suddenly came across a…garden?_

_Oh. Well, this was exciting._

_Your spirits instantly lifted as you made your way over to this garden, neatly trimmed and healthy green bamboo shoots coming into sight._

_Walking through the seemingly empty garden, you were amazed by an average sized building (palace) painted in red with gold decorations and a stagnant lake surrounding the perimeter._

_You were so captivated by the craftsmanship of the palace that you failed to notice a man sitting at a garden table._

"_Oh? I was not expecting any tourists…The sign did say the garden was closed for the day."_

_You were frightened by the sudden voice speaking in…Mandarin? Sure, let's go with that. And you were now aware of the man staring at you with questioning eyes._

'_Ok, well. I think I just embarrassed myself finally. Way to go, _.' You thought, mentally smacking yourself._

"_Ah, excuse me. You probably did not understand a word I just said," the man sighed, now speaking in English, but there was a slight accent._

"_I-I'm sorry. I did not see the sign," you replied, stuttering._

_The nameless man rubbed the back of his head._

"_Well, I can tell you are obviously not from here, so I'm going to assume you are touring the country," the man questioned._

_Stranger danger, much?_

_And despite that obvious warning your mind was signaling, you nodded your head slowly, taking an interest in the man in front of you._

_You could clearly tell that he was Chinese, and quite the attractive man._

_He had gentle but firm golden brown eyes. His dark brown hair was surprisingly long for a boy and it was neatly pulled off to the side in a ponytail. He was wearing traditional clothing, the color being a dark red._

_Though he wasn't exactly smiling, you could hear a few hints of playfulness and amusement when he spoke._

_And he could understand you! Maybe he could help you out._

"_Well, won't you have a seat? You must be tired from standing around," he suddenly chuckled, a smile appearing on his features._

_Awestricken by such a charming smile, you silently took a seat in the former vacant chair across from the man._

"_I do believe I should introduce myself. My name is Wang Yao. And yours would be?"_

"_U-um, pleased to meet you. I am _," you replied, not giving out your last name._

_He didn't seem to notice as he asked you more questions such as: "where are you from?" "What are you doing all by yourself?" and "Can you speak any Mandarin, or Cantonese?"_

_So, you two talked for what seemed like ages, you explained your situation to Yao and he never interrupted once. He took in everything you said and kept his attention focused on you._

_You exchanged a few laughs here and there and got to know each other for the rest of the afternoon, enjoying the silence and peaceful nature around the two of you._

"_So, do you know the name of this garden by any chance, _?"_

_You laughed and answered with "Oh no. Honestly, I just kinda ended up her by chance."_

"_Well, this garden is known as the Gong Wang Fu, and it's rather lovely wouldn't you agree?" He asked as if he were proud of it or something._

"_I bet you only say that because it has a part of your name in it," you playfully retorted._

_He just laughed and shook his head, staring up at the sky._

_You took notice of the setting sun and tensed up. Yao saw this right away._

"_What's wrong? Is something the matter?"_

"_Oh, well, it's just getting late and I don't know how to get back to the hotel," you sheepishly replied, standing up._

"_I'll show you the way then!" Yao jumped up from his seat as well and took your hand in his, leading the way._

"_Ah-ah! That's all right, I've already troubled you enough today," you mumbled, being dragged along._

"_Nonsense! The streets of Beijing can be dangerous at night, and I can't let someone like you wander by yourself," he said, not letting you have your way._

_You sighed, actually quite grateful for him doing this._

_And what do you; it's as if he knows the city like the back of his hand. You two had safely made your way back to your hotel._

_You smiled, no longer feeling lost as you stared up at the tall building lined with lights._

_You turned to Yao who was smiling brightly at you._

"_Thank you so much! I appreciate everything you did for me today," you cheerily told him._

_He scratched his cheek, a very tiny blush spreading across his face._

"_Aiyaaa…I didn't do much," he replied._

"_But you did too! You didn't kick me out of the garden, you listened to my problems, and you helped me back here, silly. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"_

_Well, Yao touched his chin to his hand, pondering for a moment._

"_Um, _?_

"_Yes?"_

"_If I'm not asking for too much, and if you're free, could we meet up at the park again? I want…To get to know you better," he finished, looking away._

"_Of course, I'd love to visit you again!" You smiled._

_Yao returned your smile, and clapped his hands together._

"_Then it's decided! We shall meet again tomorrow."_

_You nodded and started to head for the door, only to have him grab you by the shoulder._

"_And, we can work on your Chinese, while we're at it. You'll need to learn at least some of the basic phrases if you wish to continue visiting the country," he playfully smirked._

_In response, you stuck out your tongue, but nodded afterwards._

'_I'll see you tomorrow, Wang Yao.'_

_And the days that follow._

_Until this class trip comes to an end._

_Until we part ways._

_And meet once more._

…

You sighed and rolled over, as you continued your pleasant dream, the absence of your boyfriend not registering in your deep slumber.

Yao had risen early this particular morning, and left a note for you on your nightstand.

After a kiss to your forehead, he was out the door, travel suitcase in hand.

__,_

_I am going to visit Kiku for a few days. Please don't be concerned as my stay will not be long. I'm sorry to leave on such short notice like this, but my flight leaves early this morning. Don't worry too much as it is not healthy. I'm practically going 'next door', so I won't be that far away from you, even if it may seem like that. I left you some meals in the refrigerator, so you should be all set. _

_Stay safe and know that Mei Mei and Lee are close by if you are in trouble._

_I miss you already._

_我__爱__你_

_Wang Yao._


	3. Development

"_So, when did you say you were returning back to your country?" Yao asked you as he poured you some tea._

"_We will only be in Beijing for about another two days, so we 're leaving Friday," you replied, smiling sadly._

_Since the first time you two met in the palace garden, you took every opportunity you could get to see Yao. You would break away from your class when you could just to be with the man you had strangely grew fond of so quickly in such a short amount of time. You weren't exactly sure why, but there was just something about the young man that drew you to him._

_When you remembered that you would be leaving China, leaving Yao, you felt a great deal of sadness._

_Speaking of feelings, you recently became aware of the butterflies that fluttered around in your stomach whenever you two made eye contact._

_Reflecting over the last week, you two did do many things together; walking through beautiful gardens, learning how to speak Mandarin even better than what your teacher had taught, and taking time to just talk to one another._

_You wondered if he shared similar feelings…Even if that did seem stupid. After all, you were still young and inexperienced with the feeling of 'love', is that was what you were feeling._

_You chuckled. Impossible._

"_What's so funny?"_

"_Mm? Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking about that goose that attacked you the other day at the park. Who ever heard of a grown man being nearly 'mauled', as you put it, by such a harmless creature," you began laughing, now remembering the look of sheer terror on the poor Chinese man's face when he accidently startled an unsuspecting goose, who wanted it's revenge._

_Yao's face heated in embarrassment._

"_S-stop laughing! It wasn't funny! That monster was a vicious bird that nearly killed me! And it was only an accident! Didn't you see the intent look of murder in its eyes," Yao huffed._

"_Ahaha, the only destructive thing the goose did was put a small hole in your robe," you continued to laugh, wiping tears caused by laughter from your eyes._

"_Aiyaa! That was one of my good robes! And really now, you are being so immature, _. I'll give you something to laugh about," Yao said as he suddenly tackled you to the ground, tickling your sides._

_You shrieked in laughter and tried to tickle him back._

_Well, you two engaged in a tickle war, laughing, taunting each other, and having a good time._

_It ended with you pinning him to the ground, both of you breathless and red in the face._

"_I…Win…" you gasped out, smirking triumphantly. _

_Yao rolled his face, smiling._

"_Perhaps. Do you want a reward or something for playing games?"_

"_Hey! You started it, and yes, I think I deserve one," you pouted._

_Yao chuckled, gently wrapping his arms around your neck. He pulled you close to his face and moved his mouth to your ear._

"_I know something about you for sure, my dear _. Well maybe two things. The first is: I know for certain you will like this small reward."_

_His warm breath sent shivers down your spine and what he did next completely caught you off guard._

_He placed a gentle and tender kiss on your lips._

_It was brief, but when he pulled away, you just the cutest smile on his face._

"_I also know that you like me, _."_

_You jumped away from him, covering your reddening cheeks._

_He sat up and chuckled, patting your head._

"_Why are you so nervous all of a sudden? I like you too," he said in a sincere tone._

_You blushed even more, you face know a fierce shade of red._

"_y-you…T-that was my first kiss!" you shouted. You weren't mad; just extremely flustered._

_Yao looked surprised._

"…_It was? Ahh..I'm sorry, _…Were you saving it for someone special," Yao asked, looking regretful._

_You shook head, mentally trying to calm yourself down. My first kiss was given to me by Yao, my first kiss was taken by Yao, and Yao just…kissed me._

_Wait._

_He likes me?_

_Yao stood up, snapping you out of your daze. He held out his hand to you, wanting to help you up. You hesitantly took his hand and he help lift you off the ground._

_He turned his head away, sheepishly and said, "I think it's time I lead you back to the hotel…"_

_Instantly, your eyes filled with sadness. It wasn't even the evening yet and you weren't ready to leave._

_You took a deep breath, making your mind up._

"_If this is too awkward for you, then you can take me back. But I want to know one thing first. Why do you like me," you asked, looking up with curious eyes._

_Yao felt his face heat up._

"_W-Well I…I know it may sound forward and unusual, considering you really only just met, but there is something about you…"_

_You listened, waiting for him to continue._

"_You looked so lost when we first met and I knew I was bound to want to get to know you; I could tell that you were not some obnoxious tourist visiting my country. And while I don't know everything about you, I feel drawn to you."_

"_Please don't laugh at me, but it feels as if it has been ages since I last met someone that made me feel so…alive. So at ease and normal. I want to know more about you. I think you are also a very pretty girl."_

_Yao paused, chuckling._

"_You're also so easy to read, like an open book."_

_You blushed again, looking down._

_Was this man really telling you all of this? You almost couldn't believe it._

_Yao looked at you, waiting for a response of some sort._

_And in a quiet voice, you mumbled,_

"_I think…that I want to get to know you as well. I can't explain it either myself, but I too am drawn to you…"_

…

_Thereafter, you ended up spending the night at his house, talking to each other; learning as much as you could about him and vice versa._

_It seems crazy and unrealistic they way it turned out, A young girl suddenly being thrown into an almost relationship with a man she still just a met in the course of a week, and in a foreign country. _

_But you had agreed to return to China again, in about a year or so. The reason being was that Yao refused to court you until you had legally become an adult. Well, this made sense, seeing as you were still seventeen and he was about twenty-three._

_How traditional and gentlemanly, you thought smiling. _

_And to think, it really had been a few years since then. Look at where you were right now; exactly where you were meant to be._

_Living with your loving boyfriend you had met five years ago, and have officially been dating for four years. _

_So loved…_

_So…not here?_

Opening your eyes, you let out a yawn and stretched your arms out in front of you, sunlight streaming through the red velvet curtains.

You rolled over, expecting to meet Yao in a morning embrace.

Except, he wasn't there.

'_Strange_', you thought, sitting up and looking around.

You noticed a note left on the nightstand.

Picking it up, you read it to yourself.

After you reading it, you were wondering what Yao had to see Kiku for and why he left so suddenly.

Did something happen?

…

Yao lugged his suitcase off the plane with him, taking his first steps in Kyoto, located in the island country of Japan.

'_It has been so long since I've visited Kiku's home_,' he mused to himself.

Reading over the directions his brother had sent to him in a text message, Yao made his way to Kiku's humble home.

Knocking on the door of the house, Yao waited for him to answer the door.

"Ahh, I'm over here, Yao-San," Kiku called to Yao as he walked out from the back of his house.

Yao looked at him and nodded.

"It has been a while since I have last seen you, Yao…You look well," Kiku said, meeting Yao on his front porch.

"And you look healthy yourself," Yao smiled.

The two stood there for a while making small talk.

"Yao-San…No, China, I believe it's time we discuss what I had called you here for. Won't you please come inside?"


	4. Discussion

The two brothers were seated inside of the traditional tatami room. Sunlight was pouring in from the windows and the sound of birds chirping nearby could be heard.

Yao faced his younger brother Kiku, who was pouring green tea into small cups. He was anxiously waiting to know what Kiku has called him to talk about, but he kept a straight face.

Kiku passed one of the cups filled with tea over to his brother, and they each took a moment to sip their tea.

Not wanting to beat around the bush any longer, Yao gingerly placed his cup back on the table.

"So. You do realize that you were the one who insisted I came here in person to talk to you…Mind telling me what was so important," Yao asked calmly.

Kiku set his cup back on the table as well and folded his hands.

"Yao-san, I understand that I have no business in your personal life…I mean, it's not my place to say anything…But I would like to address your relationship with _-chan."

Yao's stare hardened. He had a feeling this would be brought up soon enough…He just didn't think it would be Kiku…Japan, who would be the one to say anything. He was normally reserved about everything and not into placing his nose in someone else's personal life.

Why does even he care?

"Yes, and what about my relationship, Kiku," Yao asked calmly.

Kiku gave his brother a questioning look.

"Uh um…Surely you have already realized…"

"Realized…?"

"Yao-san. You're a country. More specifically, you represent a country. Just as I do…We both are country incarnations. In other words, we aren't exactly humans," Kiku trailed off, keeping eye contact with Yao.

Yao began to fidget in his seat.

"And because of that…we are immortal. We outlive everyone around us."

"You're one of the wisest nations…Surely you already know that…Well to put it simply, you will outlive _-chan as well."

Yao stood up suddenly, making Kiku jump.

He took a deep breath, brought one of his hands to his face, and began pacing around the room.

Kiku remained seated.

"I…I know that. I have known that since the moment I fell in love with her. But over time…She made me forget," Yao spoke softly, stopping his pacing.

Kiku gave his brother a sympathetic look. Though, he wasn't exactly convinced; Yao was just so…wise and experienced. How could one girl do that to him when he had over 5,000 of living? All of the people he has met before…why was one able to do this to him, and why now?

"I know it sounds stupid…But I just don't know how it happened. I met that lost girl a few years ago…She makes me feel human."

So that was it.

For one reason or another, this girl in particular was able to do something like that to his brother.

"…Have you told her? Keeping a secret like this…and for so long now," Kiku whispered.

Yao flinched. No. No he had not. How could he? There were so many things that could go wrong…

Kiku took his silence as a no and shook his head.

"Yao-san…She needs to know. For her sake and yours."

Selfish.

How selfish Yao must feel.

When you think about it, he knew about his immortality this whole time. He knew that engaging in such a relationship with a human could be considered almost taboo. Something that doesn't make sense.

Why put yourself in a position where you could end up hurting yourself and someone close to you.

"If I tell her…Won't she hate me? Hate me for not being honest with her, for getting her hopes up, for what I am?"

Kiku looked down, no longer facing his distraught brother.

"…That is not a question I can answer. This is a difficult situation to fix. But, you know _-chan better than anyone else does. At least try to talk to her about it."

The two went silent for a moment, both lost in thought.

"Why are you telling me this? Why do you care, all of a sudden," Yao spoke up, breaking the silence.

Kiku, uncertain of why himself, remained silent.

He hadn't been exactly close with his brother recently, due to not seeing him as much. He was now rethinking calling Yao over like this. But perhaps a small part of him did not want to have to see someone relatively close to him suffer over something like this.

Kiku didn't like to see people suffer in general.

"Why? Well…I'm not sure. I was worried that you were going to carry on like this…watching her grow old while you stayed the way you are."

"Wouldn't you be in pain, seeing something like that?"

"…So, are you saying that I should just end my relationship with her, just like that," Yao asked, looking at his younger brother, pain laced in his voice.

It was Kiku's turn to fidget where he sat.

Deciding a more comforting approach would be best at this point; he stood up and gingerly placed a hand on Yao's shoulder.

"Not exactly…Or not right away at least. I think you should talk to her," Kiku replied with a slight smile.

"You should stay the night. Think things over and just try to decide what will be best for the both of you."

Yao said nothing, but nodded his head.

"I'll go set up the bath; you look like you could use some relaxation time," with that being said, Kiku went to go do just that, leaving Yao alone in the room.

i'…Human. It's something I'll never be. Something I can never be.'

'I wonder if…she could ever become immortal. But this isn't a fairy tale. I'm only fooling myself.'/i

Yao returned to his seat and finished hi tea, trying to clear his clouded mind.

…

Later that night, Yao was trying to fall asleep in the futon Kiku had prepared for him.

What a life he could have had.

One where he wouldn't have to see certain people close to him outlive him.

For someone who doesn't dream often anymore, he managed to dream of a life where he lived as a human. With you.

Growing old together.

That's all he wanted.


End file.
